“IPSS was extremely valuable, she said. "It’s what got me my job after I graduated."

Ashley recently started a new job, working for the Inter-American Development Bank on a new initiative which is integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services into all of their work.

"It’s really exciting because it’s different," she says. "They are trying to mainstream doing biodiversity conservation and protection of the environment within their entire portfolio. That’s public and private sector. Everything from a tourism project to a huge dam or infrastructure project."

As for advice to current Monterey Institute students, Ashley says that learning a language is critical to working in international development. She also thinks it is important to specialize within a degree.

"Have a focus within IEP," she said. "Having something that makes you standout and building a niche around your knowledge base is really important."